NYCLU report on Tasers

Below is a copy of the NYCLU’s report on Taser use that we got a look at yesterday. The report is harsh on Albany police, among others, for lax Taser policies, poor documentation of incidents involving the weapons and more.

Well if you don’t want to be hit by lightning, don’t act like a lightning rod. In every use of force paradigm I have seen, Taser in on the same as hands on, OC and baton. So if an officer can goes hands on with a subject her or she can use a Taser. Tasers keep Officers safe.

More crying babies looking for attention. As far as
Albany using it more on blacks than whites- what is
the percentage of crimes committed broken down
by black and white? Just because they used it more
on one population doesn’t mean anything if that
part of the population is committing more crimes

Let’s see, 68% of the time TASERS were used on blacks, who are only 28% of the population of the City of Albany. Sounds like racism to me. Oh wait, they forgot to include the fact that as 28% of the population blacks commit 85% of the overall crime and about 96% of the violent crime in the City of Albany. Hummm…. I wonder how they forgot to put that in there. Point being, if you include all the facts and don’t ommit the facts you don’t like it explains exactly why TASERS are used on more blacks. Hey here’s a thought…. don’t commit crimes and/or fight with police officers and I guarantee you’ll never get TASERED. WOW this report wasn’t worth wasteing the paper they printed it on.

The beauty of tasers is they work on anyone who doesn’t know how to conduct themselves in a civilized manner…no matter what the color of your skin is. I’m beginning to wonder why the TU always tries to make race such a big deal in every article. I’m waiting to hear that the Willingham’s were arrested based on the color of their skin. I also find it interesting that considering the reason for their arrest and Ms. Willingham’s position that the article is not under Crime Confidential to be blogged about…..HHHMMMM!

HELLO!!!! Im going to let you in on a few FACTS released by the FBI on nationwide crime study. %80 of ALL CRIME is committed by African Americans. Around the same percentage of ALL resisting arrest cases involve African AMericans. It should come as no surprise that more African Americans are tazzed. Check the FBI crime statistics for verification.

Hey Jango if you take our tasers away we’re just left with our hands, batons, pepper spray and firearms to deal with use of force issues………. The taser is a great tool and the use of it greatly reduces injuries to the police officers that utilize them and the citizens that are on the receiving end of them.

@anonymous…..the only ‘great tool’ here is you, officer…..if cops these days weren’t so cowardly they would be using the self defense and cuffing techniques they(you) are taught in the academy. Go forbid they get their hands a little dirty or have to roll around with someone….too quick to go for the taser….

first off, if you were not acting like an idiot you would not have to worry about getting tasered. Would all you bleeding hearts rather see it like the old days(which was not so far away) where in the same situations that people are now getting blasted they were instead getting whacked across the skull with a baton and more officers and suspects were really getting hurt.

I have a huge issue with teh 15% of use was on people who were armed or thought to be armed. You SHOULD NOT be useing less then Lethal force on a subject who is capable of using deadly physical force. You meet Deadly Physical force with DPF. I hope for the lives of these officers that they had back up capable of deploying DPF. These are the ones that need to be retrained. Criminals normally stop for police for two reasons, one they deploy a taser, or two they deploy a K9. Those are the two items that criminals fear. I have seen pepper spray fail, I have seen batons fail, I have seen tasers fail. For an agency that has zero to do with police work trying to change policy because they disagree with it is. People complain that pepper spray is used to much. That tasers are used to much. How about this, complain about the criminal activity. Not the people that are trying to stop it.

Tasers are better than having to use their gun. Unless the NYCLU is in a life or death situation, how can they even begin to understand the situation? I witnessed someone getting the taser and let me tell you, I don’t know why the officers didn’t do it sooner. They put up with an unruly drunk drug addict for at least a half hour before finally calming him down by tasing him and he deserved it! Tase first, ask questions later. Better than risking their safety! And for those attacking the police officer, until you walk a mile in his shoes and are put at risk, you don’t know what you are talking about either so shut it. And for those claiming “racism”, please do your homework. As people stated above, the use of tasers mostly on blacks is due to the fact that most crime is commited by blacks. duh.

Love how far into the fantasy land of denial so many in this blogsphere are. of course black people deserve to be tasered, isnt that what they tell us? Such a easy sell!!! if you werre good negros you wouldnt be whipped, i mean tasered! now get back out there in those cotton fields like a good negro!!

Tango- your post is the most irresponsible post I’ve
read in awhile. You would actually like to go back
to the days of cracking skills with batons? You must
live in Lala-ville, the first time any officer
subdued a criminal your way it would be all over
the news as police brutality. I personally would
love to see the police go old school and crack heads, but it will never happen with people like you around.

Kevin the Sheepdog are you a cop out tasering? lol you say complain about the criminals not the people trying to stop crime?? How about the Albany police force? When they break the law are they tasered?

@huh cracking skulls, huh? That’s comical! What century are you from? I’m talking about those defensive tactic courses officers take. You prob don’t know about them because you are in fact acting like you are a cop, but you are not. The fact of the matter is officers go through intensive self defense training and they should use that training before they leap for the taser. Someone asked a good question, why wasn’t Jimmy miller tasered when he was being disrupted during that dwi that seems to have been forgotten?

No I am not issued a Taser. No Albany PD is Tasered in training. I dont live in Albany, I have never worked with Albany PD so I can not speak to their use of force of policy. However I can speak to gerneral policy and the Taser is on par with OC and Baton. Also when an Officer goes “hands on” you have a greater chance of officer injury and suspect injury. There are not the lumps and bumps that a Baton can give. There is not the 45 minute Decon as with OC. After 5 seconds the Taser is done. Suspect gets up and as long as he or she follows directions all done. If not then those two probes are still attached and he or she can get a second shock.

Tango- First off, never said I was a cop, never was,
never will be. “cracking skulls, huh? That’s comical! What century are you from?” Why is that funny? You and I have way different
senses of humor. I am saying they would actually crack
skulls with the batons. You are the one who is trying
to talk like you know how to be a cop. Keep on running
your mouth and show people down deep you really have
nothing to say

And Marlon- What are you talking about? I think your
blood sugar is low